Celebrating National Pet Month

May is National Pet Month, a time to celebrate and appreciate all the love and joy they bring into our lives.

National Pet Month began over 27 years ago in England, with the mission to: Promote the benefits, care, and responsibility of owning a pet, Increase public awareness of animal care professionals and the value of service animals, and Support pet adoption.

For the large majority of pet owners (myself included), pets are accepted as family members, and as such are treated as one.

According to Pet Business,Dr. Clower and his team found that “Americans spent seven times as much on their pets as they did at the box office, and $29 billion more on their pets than they did on daycare.

It has been estimated that through our love of wanting to keep our pets happy and healthy that Americans will spend almost $70 billion in 2017 – that’s up $10 billion more than in 2015 on nutritious food, grooming, veterinary care, and the latest toys, Now that’s what I call a lot of love!

And speaking of love, we certainly couldn’t celebrate National Pet Month without acknowledging all the wonderfully talented Therapy Animals who share their love and healing power to those in need.

Therapy animals are best known for bringing comfort, affection and happiness to people in confined living situations, whether they are in a hospital for a short stay or in an assisted living home.

The best way to celebrate National Pet Month is to honor all the unconditional love they give you everyday, and I can think of no better way than with a plateful of homemade healthy recipe treats, a movie, and a hug!

If you are a fan of your furry (and sometimes not so furry) family members, and all the “holidays” celebrating them, you may find it practically impossible to keep track of each and every one of them. Be sure to subscribe with you email and never miss another Pet Holiday with our daily/weekly posts delivered directly into your inbox!